The blog world has connected me with some amazing people and I am proud to say that many have become personal friends outside of cyber land. How can I not be in total awe of these creative and driven women!

First up is Janell with Isabella and Max Rooms. That gal has more energy than all of my blog friends combined!

She is the queen of fabulous DIY projects, she is visible on TV shows and in shelter magazines to the left and the right and to top it off she just launched her own magazine. Yep. Janell’s business card now reads Founding Editor of her new on-line magazine, House of Fifty. A great magazine jam packed with terrific articles, ideas and gorgeous photos. Go, Janell, go! (Of course you will no longer have time to have grab a coffee with me in Portland — but I will forgive you!).

In the premier issue of House Fifty you will find a segment by my dear and close friend Ewa who is the food contributor.

Ewa runs the terrific food blog Delishhh and I am one of the lucky ones because I get to taste her recipes in real. And I absolutely LOVE her cooking. I mean LOVE!

Every time I visit her home I know I will be in for a treat. Following her you will get tons of great recipes, many with a Swedish flair. (Yes friends, that includes delicious Swedish meatballs).

Last Summer, when visiting Stockholm, I hooked up with Mia from the wonderful blog Solid Frog. After spending a day together and recording a segment about Swedish design we finally got some time to talk in private and she whispered that she was pregnant. Like 11 weeks. I remember telling her that I had such a good feel about her pregnancy. And last week she gave birth to her first child – a little ”Lasse”, short name for Lars! I spoke with her on the phone the other day and I can report that there are some very happy parents over there who hardly dare to sleep because they don’t want to miss a second with Lasse. Congratulations!

Now this gal is also very driven. Listen to this. Coming fall Mia and her husband will open an Art Gallery in Jonkoping, in the southern parts of Sweden.

I cannot wait to visit her gallery. Knowing Mia’s good taste and style – this  is going to be something extraordinary!

And lastly my friend Jill with Live Like You who I am looking forward to meeting in person!

This stylish, vibrant and colorful Swede (based in Washington DC) is TODAY launching her brand new on-line design studio and boutique – Live Like You.

Here you will find tons of lovely things for the home. Jill offers a great mix of products — brand new, vintage, green and fabulous pieces she found and turned into one-of-a-kind pieces. Now that is the way to decorate, folks! Some lovely furnishings from her store:

I also really like her category “Personality” were you will find sketches of moodboards and suggestions for paint colors. Brilliant, Jill!

So there, some new faces and/or new places to visit. You will quickly learn why I am so very proud of these ladies.

Warm hugs to you all!

Images: No. 1 via The Kelly Scope. Other images via resp. blog.

I said I was returning to blog land on Monday but after a grand (and fun!) Easter party at our house, I was stuck with dishes up to my ears… So, my Monday post turned into a Tuesday post — sorry about that.

The day before our Easter party I came up with an idea to use my Mod Podge concoction once again. I usually come up with my own little personal projects but this one I totally copied from another blog — without any shame!. Thank you Danielle Oakey Interiors! I thought it was a fun and clever idea. (Would be interesting to know though, why I always seem to come up with new ideas right before big gatherings and events. With this little project, I postponed my much more important Ginger Cookie Cheesecake baking until way after midnight! Go figure…).

So, Danielle decoupaged some white plates with black animal silhouettes. And that became my inspiration. (Her project below).

Off I went and equipped myself with some simple, new, white plates. Then I trotted down to a great local craft store. They carry these die-cuts which you crank through a machine you use at the store and get perfectly shaped motifs. (They had many to chose from). Using a sharp knife could have been an option but wouldn’t be my cup of tea. All I got were a couple of sheets of black of non textured card stock and the machine did its magic.

I also bought some new decoupage finish called “Royal Coat 1402 – clear” and home I went to get started on my own plate project.

Here are the plates right before they have received the royal decoupage treatment (glue & seal).

I think it is a simple and fun way to get some very personal wall decor. If you are interested I will show you the decoupaged plates on the wall when they’re all done.

Warm hugs to you all.

Image no. 1 via Chicago Tribune, image no. 2 via Danielle Oakey Interiors. All the rest via Splendid Willow.

I am signing off a a little earlier this week. With Easter festivities in the works and a happy sun sending us warm rays (finally!), I am stepping away from the computer for a few days extra.

Wishing you all a Happy Spring Week and for those of you celebrating — A Very Happy Easter!

I will be back again on Monday.

Warm hugs,

Images: No. 1 via Martha Stewart Living, no. 2 via A Very Happy Life

We were supposed to fly down to California for the annual Easter family gathering but since we are flying down twice this fall, one is for a family wedding (so much fun!), we opted to stay home this time. And when we do, we usually invite a few close families and turn it into a really fun and social feast. (But two of my close friends and regular Easter bunnies, Mariana and Pernilla, have moved back to Europe with their families — boo hoo!).

There will be great things to eat (and lots of Champagne!). And all the normal hopping fun activities for the kids.

I don’t get crazy into Easter decor but here are four things that I always do at my house:

O.N.E. Hang handmade carrots in the the chandelier (because it literally takes 5 seconds, ha!)

T.W.O.  Decorate my decoupaged branches (I used pages from an old book) with a few Easter ornaments

T.H.R.E.E. Showcase these lovely sheep, handmade by a Seattle artist.

Note: I have received several e-mails today about the sheep. They are handmade with real sheep wool. I buy them at Common Folk & Co. You can contact them directly here.

F.O.U.R. Use lost of fresh organic wheat/cat grass in which I place small Robins’ eggs

These ideas all caught my attention:

Decoupaged eggs (preferably Emu eggs). Hey, here I could use my mod-podge again and decorate eggs with lovely bird themed paper! If I am not running out of time I might actually try this. It seems so fun. The good thing is that the eggs can be used year after year. (Read more about the project here).

What a simple but pretty center piece. Lots of twigs with a few daffodils. I like it.

Easy and much appreciated table decorations, are these nests (you can get them at Michael’s) filled with chocolate eggs. (Invest in good chocolate, people!).

This weekend I was snooping around over at my happy & good friend Piper’s on-line store, One Sydney Road, and found some great items that I might need to put a rush order on for the festivities.

I need new napkins and I like them over-sized. These natural 100% linen tea towels would do the job! Hard to be an unhappy guest after being presented with this!

And I am also eyeing these handmade milk glass bottles. I  need a few. Perfect for all that sparkling water we serve at the dining table. And I like that they come with corks!

A little last minute Easter Galore from my end. Do you have any fun Easter plans?

Happy, Happy!

Images: No. 1 via Chocolate Blog, no. 2-5 via Splendid Willow, no. 6 via via  Martha Stewart living, no. 7 via Hemmariket, no. 8 (unknown),  no. 9-11 via One Sydney Road.

I have said it many times before — I am pretty hopeless with indoor plants (or plants in general). I really would like to be better at it. I so appreciate and enjoy plants and they are so good for the indoor air but I seem to have zero nurturing instinct as far as caring for them (the kids are pretty well nurtured, thank goodness).

I somehow have told myself that if I only had one spot dedicated to plants — then this would be an entirely different story. I would be so alert, I would never forget them! (Who am I kidding?). My Mom used to have a gorgeous Gustavian style plant stand with a zinc insert. (She later threw it away!). I like the  idea of being able to splash water without guilt.

In the latest issue of Living Etc I saw this pretty window box, originally meant for the outside, inside and dedicated for plants by the window. How clever and lovely! It also offers some leafy privacy.

I have shown this fantastic indoor gardening table before, hosting these stunning plants. How can you possibly forget to take care of your plants when you get to see this beautiful arrangement on a daily basis?

At Crate & Barrel I have been eyeing this Conservatory table (on sale right now) with a removable tray which I think would make the most perfect orchid table. I envision several weathered pots with lovely white orchids. (I seem to manage them better than green leaf plants).

If no tables and boxes will do, a cluster of plants placed in a decorative way like this is a lovely way to embrace greenery at home.

And why not settle for one dramatic statement piece! Different and lovely!

Speaking of lovely. Meera over at First Sense recently honored me with a blog award. Thank you! She is cute as a button Ms. Meera, and she has a really good eye for design. It is a joy following her inspirational blog!

My week has been insane. I will fill you in at a later time. For all of my readers who think that I have moved to a different planet, I am still here and I look forward to catching up on e-mails and visiting in blog land soon.

Happy, Happy!

Images: no. 1 via Bloom IQ, no. 2 Scanned from Living Etc (April 2011), no. 3 via Apartment Therapy, no. 5 via Martha Stewart Living, no. 6 unknown (sorry!)